When I was at Big Day Out this year I had the pleasure of running into my mate Stu. Noticing his fluro yellow vest and that he was holding a water sprayer, I was shocked to find out he worked as a volunteer at music festivals doing “crowd care”. Long story short, the next time I saw him I hit him up to get me a spot doing the same thing and he came through. I am now happy to say I am a member of the government sponsored “RaveSafe” crew.

SoundWave 2009 was my first event working with RaveSafe. Basically they volunteer their time to make sure that everyone at the festival stays safe and have a good time. They offer a range of services, from spraying the crowd with water to keep them cool to offering water and a place to lie down for those who have overdone it. Ravesafe can also help with basic things, like navigation around the festival, where to find a schedule, and even sunscreen.

Their efforts tend to be controlled towards those who have taken drugs or consumed alcohol. Although there’s a police presence at the festival to try and prevent people enter the festival with illegal substances, realistically you can guarantee there will be hundreds (if not thousands) of festival-goers that have taken/drunken something. The best part about ravesafe is they are totally trust worthy – if they help someone who they know has taken illegal substances, they’re not going to run to the cops, they won’t phone the parents, and they won’t release a press statement (slight exaggeration there of course). To put it simply, RaveSafe are there to try and avoid people leaving the festival in ambulances. It’s this trust factor that I believe is in RaveSafe’s favour – people are more willing to go to them to help because they know they won’t go to jail.

For example, it’s becoming increasingly common for sniffer dogs to present at the entrance lines to the festival. To avoid detection, people are taking numerous pills, or drinking excessive amounts of alcohol before they enter. Their line of thought is “take it all now, don’t get caught, rave on inside”. Unfortunately they don’t factor the risk of overdosing into their plans. The people I work with at ravesafe have assured me it’s not uncommon to get very serious cases first thing in the morning. In fact, I’ve heard one story of a girl at Summer Field Dayze who had almost an entire bottle of vodka before lining up. She passed out while waiting to get in.

After working at one event I’m amazed by just how tiring it truly is. Here was how my day at Soundwave panned out:

• Arrived 1.5hrs before the gates open to set up the room – involves blowing up mattresses, laying sheets and pillows down, filling up water jugs with water, tables and chairs, setting up tables with sunscreen, schedules, ear plugs etc etc.
• Walked around the event to locate water points (to fill up spray bottles during the day, and also direct people on where they can get drinks from)
• Handed out our schedules for the day. We find out how many teams there are, and where we’ll be during the day. Basically we have teams split up with groups patrolling the stages with water sprayers. They’ll spray the crowd to cool them down, and look for any people in need of help. One group will be located at the RaveSafe HQ handing out free water. The bosses will always be in HQ looking after anyone in the chill out room so that way we know where to find them if we need them.
• Had a team discussion where we ask questions, get reminded of what to do/what not to do, and signs to look for
• Finally the gates opened, and people flooded in.
• We patrolled the grounds (and danced to the music of course) until our first break just after lunch.
• After a break, we take HQ duty for an hour.
• Back to patrolling the grounds until our second break for dinner.
• HQ duty, then patrolling. By now it’s dark so it’s not really necessary to take the water sprayers, but just generally keep a look out for people.
• Finally the festival winds up, and everyone goes home. Except for RaveSafe.
• Anyone left in the HQ that are drunk/drugged we try to find a way for them to go home.
• Clean up – pack up everything in HQ (usually involves soiled sheets from people during the day), put it all back on the ute, and go home.

By the end of the day, we’ll have been at the music festival for 14 – 15 hours. We’ve been on our feet the most of the day, and while we make it look easy, it sure as hell isn’t. The day after we’re usually extremely exhausted with very fatigued bodies.

So why do I do it? Firstly, a selfish reason. I plan on joining the Queensland Police Service, and need to prove my contribution to society in the form of volunteer work. RaveSafe is voluntary, hence why it works for me.  Secondly, I get free entry to the events, and provided everyone is generally well behaved we get to enjoy the music too. Thirdly….mmm, read the second point again.

I know it’s wishful thinking that people might be well behaved, but hey…it might happen! At least at Soundwave I got the chance to sit on the grass and listen to Nine Inch Nails in the cool air, and at the end of a long hard day in the sun, that makes it all seem worthwhile. I’ll be sure to post about my experiences at the future festivals I go to – no doubt there will be some interesting stories to tell!